$450 million is a lot of dough for a painting whose authenticity is at all in question.
Considering that the Saudis are usually shrewd investors and this acquisition comes at a time of financial strain for the KSA, not to mention one of upheaval, I would think the purchaser has gone to great extremes to have the painting examined.
Great mystery here.
Maybe the buyer ‘had’ to buy it and fork it over to the House of Saud or risk an no-expense-paid vacation atop the Ritz-Carlton.